Shark and man

A 66-year-old man died at the scene after an attack by a shark, believed by experts to be a great white. He had a single huge but clean bite that spanned both his legs. The attack occurred at Tide Beach in San Diego County around 7 a.m. Friday.

The swimmer was training with about eight other swimmers in their triathlon club. The group was swimming about 150 yards offshore, and was wearing black wetsuits when the attack took place. Two fellow swimmers, hearing the man’s cries for help, dragged him to shore but the bleeding from his wound was profuse and he probably bled to death even before he was taken out of the water.

Club members said in their six years of meeting at the beach they had never seen or heard of a shark in the vicinity. One of them said, however, that he had seen a seal swimming around earlier in the week. On the morning before the attack, other people found a seal pup on the beach and took it to a marine rescue center.

A shark expert from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said great white sharks pass through the area, and the man’s massive wounds were characteristic of what a great white could do.

The shark may have mistaken the man for a seal. They cruise along the bottom and look for seal silhouettes higher up. When they see one, they rise and attack. A human swimmer may look like a seal from below.

Despite their reputation, attacks from sharks are extremely rare. Worldwide, there were 71 confirmed cases in 2007 with only one fatality.

Most attacks take place just offshore because sharks find food in these areas. The food — usually fish or seals — swim between the shore and coastal sandbars. When the tide recedes, sharks can get trapped while feeding and this may cause them to become aggressive.

Safety Tips:
* Don’t swim if you have a cut or bleeding injury. If you get injured in the water, get out immediately.
* Avoid swimming when large groups of seals, fish and sea lions are around. They are favorite shark food.
* Stay away from areas where any kind of waste — animal, fish, or human — enter the water. The sewage attracts small fish, and the fish attract sharks.
* Swim a good distance from fishing boats. They often have fish remains or fish blood in their wake and these attract sharks.
* Don’t wear bright-colored clothing or shiny jewelry (which may look like fish scales).
* Don’t splash water excessively. If a pet or someone is swimming erratically, get them out of the water because the activity attracts sharks.
* Don’t swim alone. Most shark attacks occur on individuals.